Why I left my Cult! A story from behind the curtain.

November 28th 2017

Estimated 4 Minute Read

I’ve had quite the ride with Cult Collective. We’ve transformed brands and grown a legendary annual marketing conference. And now my business partner, Chris Kneeland, and I have uncovered a new working model that I have got to put all of my attention into if I am ever going to realize its full potential as a global force. That’s why I am officially stepping down as President of Cult Collective to spearhead this new venture called Communo.

I am officially stepping down as President of Cult Collective to spearhead a new venture called Communo.

Communo is a work model ecosystem created for craftspeople and agencies alike. Not too many opportunities come along in this world that foster both. It’s happening now, and it’s the future. I’ve sung the praises of this member-driven, talent-sourcing concept before, encouraging people to try a swig of the Communo Kool-Aid that I’m downing full time now.

Success Was Not Enough

Too much comfort makes me edgy. I’m a guy who walks around on the very tips of my toes. Anxiety and unease are unpleasant, but I also seek them out. It’s a sickness really. But one I embrace.

Some may say it’s shortsighted of me to leave Cult, because the agency turns a sizeable profit and works with some of the biggest and bravest brands in the world. We’ve worked hard to develop best practices that benefit our clients as well as our internal culture, but I was uncomfortable in my comfort of the known.

Maybe it’s the dad in me that sees the world from a new perspective since becoming a father. Perhaps the shift happened when I turned forty. I’m a little more sensitive than I used to be. I could even use the word, “mature.” Maybe!

I still stand behind Cult’s mandate, 100 percent. Chris and I built our leading engagement agency from the ground up. From ZERO! With a team of ridiculously talented men and women who are still kicking ass. And while Cult has undoubtedly helped many businesses turn their destinies around, I found myself looking for something that could touch more people and impact change on a bigger scale, and not just at the C-suite level here in North America. It was time for me to move away from simply making a dollar toward making a difference.

From that desire to reach more people, Communo emerged.

Going Global

I’m scared. I’m not even going to pretend I’m not. I’d be paranoid you’d see right through me to my own paranoia if I tried to pretend. But I’m also confident. I have an amazing family and supportive friends and mentors who believe in me, even when I feel overwhelmed with fear of the unknown and second-guess the plane I’m flying while building it.

Communo is going to be globally successful, because people and organizations are waiting for it. How can I be so sure? A few proof points:

Employment has changed: The days of the 9-5 workday, culminating in an engraved watch and pension on your 65th birthday, are over.

The agency business model is broken: As long-term retainer clients are replaced by shorter-term, project-based work, traditional agencies lack the agility to scale their workforce on-demand without the burden of additional overhead. Communo provides a solution.

Typical co-workspaces don’t encourage collaboration: Most co-workspace models serve as a catch-all for contractors and small businesses searching for affordable leases and an engaging atmosphere that beats working from home. These facilities and their random tenants lack a shared synergy—a missed opportunity that Communo Compounds address.

Carefully vetted neighbors for collaboration: Our shared spaces offer the same flexible leasing arrangements, and great digs, but they are only made available to vetted marketing and communications professionals who can benefit from working around other industry professionals. I’ve seen the data; Communo members who lease space in our Compounds benefit from more cross-pollination among fellow members than those who work elsewhere.

Communo members who lease space in our Compounds benefit from more cross-pollination among fellow members than those who work elsewhere.

Talent marketplaces fail freelancers: Yes, I’m aware that sites like LinkedIn and Upwork offer sourcing services. But their models are inferior to Communo. Millions of people bid to the bottom for the same projects, and the opportunities are not curated. That’s not elevating our profession. It’s driving it into the ground in a race to the bottom, and I’m going to stop it.

Communo is a different beast: For agencies, Communo provides the best talent as just-in-time resources to keep overhead down and deliverables top notch. For professionals, Communo offers the best platform to get the work you love to do, and do the best, while giving creatives and makers the autonomy and freedom they desire—Working for himself or herself, but not by themselves.

Career Security Lies in the Balance

Strength comes from confidence, and confidence comes from having options. Communo provides a better way to build a viable career and a sustainable business.

I value my personal time to a fault, so nobody understands better than I do the significance of leading a balanced life, where work is only one part of a fulfilling existence—Communo is your ticket to that balance by providing a way to do high-quality work while maintaining independence.

On this new path, I bring a mixed bag of emotions, and that’s okay. It gives me energy. Fuel. I not only feel Communo’s success on a visceral level, but I’ve got the proof points to back up my claims that Communo is right. Communo is now. Communo is what’s been waiting to happen.

Communo…

Is for the #gigeconomy; specialist creative or marketing professionals who possess the niche expertise and entrepreneurial ambition to grow their business.

Provides bespoke facilities, tailored coaching, and a proprietary #platform to access a curated, global ecosystem of talent. This enables individuals and businesses alike to deliver greater value and exploit bigger opportunities than they could alone.

Shares resources to create the same near-limitless bench strength and opportunity flow afforded only by large, dominant service providers and agencies. #knowledgeworkforce

Knows that division of labor expedites wealth creation. By uniting collective expertise—through a #sharingeconomy model like Communo — our talented professionals enjoy the same scale advantages as the big few.

Ryan GillRyan began his professional life in digital marketing. His first company, Suitcase Interactive, was a consistent best-digital-agency award winner. And his tenacity and forward thinking also led him, personally, to being awarded a coveted place on the auspicious 40 under 40 list. (Notice that we're not telling you how many years ago that was, we're kinda attached to our kneecaps ; ) Those seminal years also led Ryan to the enlightenment that the whole concept of advertising and digital agencies was dead. From there it was a short putt to the birth of Cult, one of North America's first true engagement agencies. As Cult's President, his legacy as a pioneering thinker has blossomed from pushing pixels, to pushing forward what marketing actually means. Ryan then founded The Gathering in 2012, an annual international event to honor cult-like brands that put the generation of movements before the creation of ad campaigns. The Gathering is now widely acknowledged to be one of North America's premier annual marketing conferences. And it's an idea that has introduced Cult to brands like Keurig, Converse, Airbnb, UFC, Las Vegas Tourism and Red Bull, among many others… hey, there's only so many names you can drop in one bio. Never one to whine about the status quo, but rather put his energy into finding a better way, Ryan’s latest innovation is the founding of a whole new operating model for marketers, both on the client side and in the industry that serves them. Called Communo, this tech-enabled work model is an incomparable brain trust of talent for brands, a human resources platform for marketing professionals, and an unprecedented business development engine for both. In his "spare time" Ryan continues his strong commitment to giving back, both at home in Calgary, and around the world. He spearheads Cult's ongoing monthly commitment to Ronald McDonald House and continues to lead Project Smile, the international relief organization he founded over a decade ago. He even managed to find some spare, spare time to co-author three editions of Fix: Break The Addictions That Are Killing Brands, Cult's thought leadership book that's changing the way CEOs and CMOs see the marketing function.